ISIS extremists "aren't real Muslims". Really?

Prime Minister Cameron telling us that ISIS are not real Muslims after the latest beheading is as preposterous as saying that Catholic Popes of the Middle Ages weren't real Christians. Who are you to say?

After the latest terrible beheading by ISIS of an American hostage we are again reminded of the delusions about the religious-ideological motivations of the enemies we face that are common currency among Western leaders.

"As I have said consistently over the last few weeks, [ISIS] terrorists speak for no religion. They threaten Syrians, Iraqis, Americans and British people alike and make no distinction between Muslims, Christians or any other faith."

President Obama said much the same thing at a speech in Estonia on Wednesday.

One despairs at the confusions and ambiguities. ISIS do speak for a religion, and do so all the time. They speak for Islam. They aren't the only people who speak for Islam. They're not even the majority. But to deny that they have come out of the Islamic fold would be as preposterous as asserting that the Popes who ran the Inquisition weren't real Christians just because you've decided that their behaviour was embarrassing to the wider faith.

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History records that for quite some time, very bad, and often brutal, practices were central to what Christianity was about. Right now, very bad, and often brutal, practices are central to what Islam is all about.

The bad Christian practices were not engaged in by all or even most Christians, any more than all or most Muslims are jihadis. Other things were also central to what Christianity was about in the past, and what Islam is about today.

It's really not so difficult to understand this.

But if our leaders have pursuaded themselves that jihadis who have consistently shown themselves ready to kill and to die in the name of the Prophet Mohammed are not real Muslims is it any wonder that all the policies, both at home and abroad, that follow from that delusion are not yielding much in the way of success?